Done deal: Medical today as Aston Villa snap up £6.7m Liverpool target

Aston Villa are reportedly set to seal the signing of Kasimpasa defender Yasin Ozcan imminently after striking a full agreement with both the club and player.

Ozcan, predominantly a left-sided centre-half, is also capable of playing at left-back and so could provide great versatility for Unai Emery in the future. The 18-year-old has been a mainstay for Kasimpasa despite his tender age, making 37 appearances in the Turkish Super Lig last term and a further 18 so far this campaign.

Villa have been keeping tabs on Ozcan alongside elite Turkish clubs Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Galatasaray. Fellow Premier League side Liverpool, meanwhile, were credited with a strong interest in the summer transfer window but a move never materialised.

The Athletic reports Ozcan will sign for Villa despite such widespread interest, with a medical already booked in for today (January 14). A fee of €7 million (£5.9m) plus €1 million (£841k) in add-ons was agreed several weeks ago and he’ll soon put pen to paper on a long-term deal until June 2023.

Villa are currently lacking depth in defence but they have agreed to let Ozcan return to Kasimpasa for the rest of the 2024/25 season. That aspect of the deal was valued highly by the Turkish top-tier club as they seek to break into the top half. Villa, knowing Ozcan probably wouldn’t be guaranteed too many minutes this term, complied.

Despite only being 18, Ozcan has made 12 appearances for Turkey Under-21 and in November he was called up to the senior team for the first time. The defender is still yet to make his senior debut but he was recently among the substitutes for the UEFA Nations League fixtures against Poland and Montenegro.

Aston Villa working on three additional defender transfers

The Villans aren’t done in the defensive transfer market with another two potential incomings and one outgoing still possible before the deadline on January 31. The same report from The Athletic states Villa are considering several new right-sided defenders including Celta Vigo’s Oscar Mingueza and Rayo Vallecano’s Andrei Ratiu, though no decision has been made.

Mingueza has been heavily linked for many weeks now and he’d be available for just €20 million (£16.6m) as he has a release clause to that value. Villa have been weighing up an approach for some time but know funds are limited and they’ll only realistically be able to sign one option. Patience is key.

Recently called up to the Spain squad to play all 90 minutes in a 3-2 Nations League win over Switzerland, Mingueza rejoined the international setup for the first time since his debut in 2021. The 25-year-old has been in excellent form for Celta and he didn’t miss a single La Liga fixture last season.

On the outgoing front, Villa have received an offer from Fenerbahce for Diego Carlos, but the initial fee is lower than expected, especially as they will need to replace the defender. Signing one of Mingueza or Ratiu would solve that particular issue.